# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
DISCLAIMER FOR COMMENTS: The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links may be removed by the moderator.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gritty Creator Explains His Design of Flyers' Mascot

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
DISCLAIMER FOR COMMENTS: The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rosspomeroy/2014/04/14/if-he-looks-stupid-he-probably-is/#138b24967696

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Sixers home opener on Thursday night in South Philadelphia was an eventful and somewhat easy win over the Chicago Bulls.

Joel Embiid had his way on the offensive end. Ben Simmons did it all en route to a seemingly effortless triple-double. And Markelle Fultz shot the ball. A lot.

All eyes are going to be on the second-year player who missed most of last season for... issues and with two nationaly televised games to start the season, the buzz around Markelle is palpable.

Fultz didn't magically find the kind of killer jumper you might expect from a No. 1 overall pick last night, but he did seemingly find the confidence to take it. After passing up a few open looks early in the game and missing his first few shots, the basketball experts on Twitter let their displeasure be known. Fultz may have had the backing of the 20,302 in the Wells Fargo Center last night who encouraged him to let it rip, but the sentiment of fans sitting at home wasn't as forgiving.

TNT analyst, former Sixer great, and generally fun guy Charles Barkley had a message for these tweet-happy folks following the game.

"Listen, let me talk to these damn idiots on Twitter," Barkley said. "People are pulling for [Markelle]. The kid struggled mentally with his shot. We're all pulling for him. That's why we're excited to see him do well. You just sit at home in your grandma's basement with your drawers on, typing on your damn keyboard. Shut the hell up. We're pulling for Markelle Fultz."

"All the people on the Internet who are mean, they sit at home living with their parents - like 32-years-old living with their parents, got their computer out, watching the world go by them, cookie crumbs on their stomach."

I wouldn't expect the polarizing nature of Fultz's play to go away over the next few months. It will certainly be one of the more intriguing storylines to follow all season long.

Here are what some of the people closest to Markelle had to say about his shot last night:

Brett Brown: "I felt when he was shooting the ball, they kept going under middle pick and rolls. He shot it to mean it, he didn't look afraid of anything. He missed the shots, but they looked good, and I think in general, we played him quite a bit of minutes, he took the most shots out of anybody on the team, I thought his defense was very good. It's a big night for that young man."

Joel Embiid: "Everybody always gets excited when he shoots a three. He's going to make those, he's worked on his shot the whole summer so that's nothing to worry about. I think the way he can help us is just being a playmaker. When I'm on the floor with him I really feel comfortable. He really knows how to find guys and understands when someone needs the ball, that's where he's going to help us a lot."

Ben Simmons: "It's huge. Especially him starting, you want a guy like that to come out and hit shots and make shots and feel comfortable and confident coming out."

Markelle Fultz: "I'm never afraid to take shots. I worked hard this summer. Tonight. I didn't make a lot of shots, but I am going to keep shooting. If I see an open shot, then I'm going to shoot it; that's what I worked for. Tonight didn't fall, but eventually, it will. I'm going to keep working."
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.
More on the Sixers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
There is a Gritty pumpkin ... and it's unreal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Sixers home opener on Thursday night in South Philadelphia was an eventful and somewhat easy win over the Chicago Bulls. Joel Embiid had his way on the offensive end. Ben Simmons did it all en route to a seemingly effortless triple-double. And Markelle Fultz shot the ball. A lot.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Latest News

Key NCAI Resources

NCAI's Longstanding Opposition to Harmful "Indian" Sports Mascots

As the nation's oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native advocacy organization, NCAI has long held a clear position against derogatory and harmful stereotypes of Native people - including sports mascots - in media and popular culture. Since NCAI launched its campaign to address stereotypes of Native people in popular culture, media, and sports in 1968, significant progress has been made in pursuit of ending the era of "Indian"

NCAI's position is clear, longstanding, and deeply rooted in our 78 years as a leading voice for Indian Country - we advocate for and protect the civil rights, social justice, and racial equity of all Native people in all parts of American society.

NCAI's Work to End "Indian" Mascots

NCAI is the oldest, largest, and most representative national organization that shares the unified voice of hundreds of Tribal Nations representing millions of Native people, and that voice has been consistent and clear for decades: sports mascots are symbols of disrespect that degrade, mock, and harm Native people, particularly Native youth. NCAI's work to end "Indian" or Native "themed" mascots, used interchangeably here, is guided by our numerous resolutions pertaining to cultural appropriation and the harmful effects of these mascots. For decades, NCAI largely focused its efforts on ending "Indian" mascots at the professional level, directing specific attention to the former mascot of the NFL's Washington "Commanders". In 2020, NCAI formally expanded the initiative to include work at the K-12 level, which included the development of the National School Mascot Tracking Database . In 2021, NCAI further expanded the initiative to include work at the state level, developing a State Activity Tracker and engaging directly with state legislatures pursuing mascot bans through legislation .

NCAI's Ending "Indian" Mascots initiative currently focuses on three primary levels: the K-12 school level, the state level, and the professional sports level.

To request NCAI's help at the K-12 or state levels, please email mascots@ncai.org .

Archive of NCAI News and Updates

November 2021
Ending "Indian" Mascots Update: More School Districts Retire their Native "Themed" Mascots, NCAI Shares Statement on Atlanta "Braves" Mascot and Fan Rituals (11.04.21) NCAI Reiterates Longstanding Opposition to Atlanta Braves' Mascot and "Tomahawk Chop" Fan Ritual as Team Plays in World Series (10.27.21)

August 2021
Ending "Indian" Mascots Update: NCAI Launches State Activity Tracker (08.03.21)
July 2021
NCAI Commends Announcement by Major League Baseball's Cleveland Franchise of Its New Name "Guardians" (07.23.21)
Ending "Indian" Mascots Update: NCAI Presents Overview of National School Mascot Tracking Database; More Native "Themed" Mascots are Retired, Replaced (07.12.21)

NCAI Statement on the Washington Football Team's Retirement of Racist Mascot (07.13.20) June 2021
Ending "Indian" Mascots Update: Colorado and Nevada Pass Bills Banning Native "Themed" Mascots, Logos, and Team Names (06.08.21)

April 2021
Ending "Indian" Mascots Update: The State of Washington Bans Native "Themed" Mascots, Logos, and Team Names (04.28.21)

Ending "Indian" Mascots Update: NCAI President Commemorates Anniversary of Retirement of Washington Football Team's Mascot; More Schools Retire Their Native "Themed" Mascots July 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ending the Era of Harmful "Indian" Mascots

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As the nation's oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native advocacy organization, NCAI has long held a clear position against derogatory and harmful stereotypes of Native people - including sports mascots - in media and popular culture.